Striking mechanism for clocks



March 24, 1925. 1,531,108

' A. LEHMANN STRIKING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS .Filed 0a. a. 1922 s Sheets-Shget 1 6725 07 g/vmms A fly 70M 7 March 24, 1925.

1,531,108 A. LEHMANN STRIKING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS Filed Oct. 6, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I p 70 25 {Iva/ ms LEM/47ml March 24, 1925. 1,531,138

' A. LEHMANN 1STRIKING MECHANISM FOR CLOCKS Filed Oct. 6, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

I 'UNITED STATES PATENT FOFFICEQV' ANDREAS LEI-IMANN, OF BADEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOB TO KIENZLE U HRENFABRIKEN SGHWENNINGEN A, NF, GERMANY, A CORPORA- KOMMANDIT-GESELLSCHAFT, OF TION OF GERMANY.

Application filed October To all w lzo/iz it may concern." v, Be it known that I, An ennas LEHMANN,

a citizen ot' Germany,"andfl resident 0t vhlonchweiler, Kreis Villingen, Baden, Germany, have invented certain, new and useful Improvements .in Striking Mechanism for Cloeks,-ot which thefollowiug is a specification.

This inventionrelates to aclock adapted to strike the four quarters of an hour as well as the "full hours, and its purpose is to actuate bothstriking devices by av single works. Accordingto the invention this is accomplished by an ariangement whereby the quarter-strikingdevice is suddenly disconnected frOnr the works ot the striking mechanism and at the same time an operating connect-ion .,1smade between thisworks and the hour-striking mechanism.

Clocks areknown in which a single works operates themechanism for striking the quarters and thehours respectit'ely, the two mechanismsbeing brought alternately into ,operative connection with the works. In

these clocks,"however, there isno'provision for striking the fourquarters,but only the one-quarter, halt'rhonr-and tln-ee-quarters. The clock forming the object of the present invention difi'ers from the clocksjust re mechanisms.

,, A suitable arrangement for disconnecting the .qualters-striking nleclianisn'r from the .works consists, according to the invention, preferably in a, clutch-disk'and a pin eooperating therewith, one of these parts being rigidly connected with that'controlling device .which is movable lengthwise, for instance, with the set of striker cams for the -quarter-hammer or hammers, while the other part is stationary. This arrangement of the disconnect ngor uncoupling mechanism is absolutely reliable andof particular adyant'age for Westminster clo cks f or the reasdzmxine rmciiAmsmroncrocxs.

6,1922. Sena 15 1% 592,748.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the mechanism is simplified considerably by prov d ng only one toothed sector which, instead of having only the number of teeth required for the ordinary .hour-strilsing mechanism, has four additional teeth for controlling the quarter-hour strokes and particularly the four-quarters strokes which always precede the ho ur-strokes. 'By means ofthese teeth the hour cam disk controls all the strokes at; the full hour, first the vfourthas will be explained below.

quarter strokes and then the tull-honr' strokes, while the. remaining quarterstrokes are controlled .by the. quarter-hour canrdisk in the usual manner. To allow the .hour camto perform this. opreation, the rack arm cooperating :therewit-h is located according to the invention ata greater distancei'rom the cam than usual, correspond- .ing tothe four additionalteeth. v y

The accompanying: drawings illustrate a satisfactory form of the presentinvention in (7011118Ctl011 with a ,VVestminstr-ar ('lock; in these drawings; those parts'have been omitted which are not necessary for an explanation of the invention. Fig. l is a front ole- .vation of the parts in their position of .rest after the three-quarters have beenstruck; Fig. 2 isa plan viewot' Fig. 1; Fig. shows the parts during the releasing movement,.

shortly before the striking mechanism is ,set free to strike twelve oclock; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the position of the parts during the strikingof the full hour;

"Fig. 5 is afront view of the parts during,

the releasing movement for striking the first quarter, in their position shortly before the mechanism is released to strike; Fig. 6v

is aside view of Fig. Figs. ,7 to 13 are detail views, Fig. 7 being a plan view showing part of the hand-operating works, and Fig. 8 a partial section on line 8-8 of Fig. '6; Fig. 9 shows the coupling parts in their uncoupled or disconnected position; Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate a bearing bracket with a coupling lever; and Figs. 12 and 13 are a plan and a section respectively of a 'disk forming part of the coupling control.

The arm2 of a bell crank lever 1, 2, 6 extends into the path of a releasing cam 3 having four teeth. This cam 3 is secured to a. minute-hand sleeie 4, forward of and adjacent to the front plate 5, and performs one revolution per hour. The arm 6 of the releasing lever has at its free end a lug 7, the so-called Warning-lug, which is bent off at right angles from the plane of the arm and extends through the front plate 5 into the path of a stop pin' 8 of the strike-operating works (.not shown). The arm 6 is provided furthermore with an extension 9 having a' pin 10 which during the lifting movement of the releasing lever engages a rack-arresting pawl 11 from below. The

revolution per hour, and it has only three teeth for striking the quarter,the half-hour and the three-quarters, while instead of a fourth-quarter tooth it is cut away as shown at 17. In front of the quarter-disk is lo:

cated, on an hour-hand sleeve '18, an hour cam 19 making one revolutionevery twelve hours. Two sector arms 20, 21 are arranged to swing with the sectorabout a stud 22. During the releasing movement ofthe sector for the hour stroke the arm swings with its pin 23against the hour-cam 19, while during the releasing movement of the sector 15 for the quarter, half and threequarters stroke the arm 21 engages the quarter-cam.

Mounted rotatably on a stud 24 is a bellcrank lever 25, 26. The arm 25 has at its end an angular extension 27 projecting into the path of a pin 29 rotating with a change wheel 28. The wheel '28 is in engagement with a quarter-wheel 28' secured to the minute-hand sleeve 4. The arm 26 carries at its end a pin 30 engaging from below a rod 31 carried by a shaft 32 mounted rotatone another.

alignment with the shaft 54 a shaft 71 carably in the front plate 5 and in a rear plate 33. The shaft 32 projects through the rear plate 33 and is formed on the opposite side of such plate with a stud 34 (Figs-4 and 6) carrying a sleeve 35 with a pin 36 secured thereto. Mounted rotatably between the two plates is 7 another shaft 37 movable lengthwise of its axis and carrying a short arm 38 which according to the longitudinal position of the shaft 37 is brought into or out of operativerelation to a star wl1eel39 of the hour-striking mechanism. The shaft 37 is formed with an extension 40 projecting to the other side of the rear wall 33 and to this projection is secureda sleeve 41 having a groove 42 and carrying an arm 43. To this arm is secured a chain 44 (Fig. 8) the other end of which engages an hour-strike hammer 45. The chain 44 merely serves to transmit motion from the arm 43 to the hammer 45.

'On the rear plate 33 are mounted posts 46, 47 and48, 49 respectively carrying hearing plates 50, 51' respectively. Between the bearing plate or bridge 50 and the plate 33 is mounted a shaft 52 carrying rotatably the hour hammer and the quarter-hour ham- The plates 50, 51 carry rotatably' mers 53. I a set of striker cams 57 for the quarter-hour strokes, which set of cams is also movable lengthwise of its axis. The set of cams 57 is provided with four strike controlling disks 58, 59, 60, 61, having in their outer circumferential surfaces teeth located at ir-' regular intervals, as required the sequence of tones of the individual quarter strokes. lVith the rear strike cam 61 is con-v nected rigidlya cup-shaped disk 62 (Figs.

'4, 12 and 13). This disk 62 hasa notch 63 one face of which is parallel to the axis of the shaft 54, while its other face extends in an acute angle away from the first face and toward the edge 64 of the disk. Adjacent to the disk face or edge 64 the bearing is provided with a projection or nose 65 the shape of which corresponds to that of the notch 63.

The shaft 54 extends beyond the bracket 51 and is formed-with a projection 66 on which is mounted a sleeve 67 having a groove 68 and carrying a disk] 69 (Figs. 4 and The disk 69 has in its face opposite to the bracket 51 and close to its circumferential surface a series of holes or sockets 70 arranged concentrically around the axis of the shaft 54 and at regular intervals from The plates 5, 33 support in ryingv the star Wheel 39 andprovided with a projection or stud 72 extending beyond the rear plate 33. On this stud 72" is mounted a sleeve 73 with a disk 74 carrying a pin 7 5.

'The distance between the disks 69 and .74 .and the length of the pin 75 are so proportioned that, when the nose or pin 65 slides on the edge (31 of the cup-shaped disk 62, the pin 75 extends into one of the sockets 70, thereby coupling the set of striker ca ms with the operating works.

To the rear side of the rear. plate 33 is secured a bracket 76 forming a bearingfor a two-armed lever 77, 78 (Figs. 8, 10, 11) the arm 77 of which carries a pin or rod. 7 9, while the arm 78 is engaged from above by the rod 36 (Fig. 4). The pin or rod 79 rests with its ends in the grooves 42 and 68 and forms between the shafts 37 and 5 1 a connection which compels these shafts to move lengthwise in unison. A spring 81 one end of which is secured to an extension 80 of the lever 77. 78, tends to pull such extension in the direction of the arrow Figs. 6 and 1.0). r

' In order to explain the operation of the device; the various steps during the releasing of the full-hour striking mechanism, during the striking of the four quarters and of the hours, as well as between the hourstrokes and the releasing of the mechanism for striking the first quarter, will now be described.

Under the influence of the operating works the releasing cam turns in clockwise direction. During this turning movement the arm 2 of the releasing lever -1, 2, 6 is engaged by a tooth on thecam 3, whereby this lever is lifted, bringing the warning lug 7 into the path of the stoppin 8.

During a further lifting movement of the lever 1, 2, 6 the pm 10 engages the rack or sector-arresting pawl '11 and lifts'this also,

thereby allowing the stop pin 12 to release the ad; lifter 13 and the works for ashort run. By the engagement of the stop 8 with the warning lug the works are temporarily arrested and remain in the so-called warning position. Finally the stop 14 releases the toothed section 15, allowing it to fall.

Inasmuch as the sector 15 controls, according to the intention, also the striking of the four-quarters occurring before the striking of the full hour and is for this purpose provided with four teeth in addition to-the usual number of teeth. the distance of the seetor arm from the hour cam 19 is greater than in the usual clocks by the aggregate length of these four teeth (see-Fig. The sector 15 will therefore drop, when disengaged from the stop 14, a distance corresponding to the aggregate length of the tour teeth for striking the four-quarters and of the teeth corresponding to the hour which the clock is to strike. The sector is arrested in its downward movement in the well known manner by the pin 23 striking against the hour cam 19. The arm 21, which serves to control the striking of the quarter, hal-fhour, and three-quarters, drops during the releasmgmovement of the sector for the striking of the hour into the well known in the art.

cut-out 17 of the quarters-cam 16 (see. Fig. Ifthen, during the further rotary movement ofthe releasing cam 3, the lever 1, 2, 6 drops from the tooth of such cam, the warning lug 7 releases the stop pin 8 and the clock begins to strike.

.At the beginning of the striking the arm 38'lies outside of the path of the star wheel 39 (Fig. 2.) The nose slides in contact with the edge 64: of the cup-shaped disk 62, thereby holding the pin 75 in engagement with. one of the sockets of thedisk 69. (Fig. (3). The shaft 5 with the set of striker-can'is 57 is thereby coupled to the shaft 71 and rotates with theoperating works.

7 During its rotation the set of cams acts on the quarter-hammers in. a manner At the moment when the quarter-hammer 53 is reaching out for its last stroke and isreleased by the set of cams 57, the notch 63 of the cup-shaped disk comes opposite the nose 65. The spring 81, which tends to act on the shaft 54. bymeans of the lever 77, 78 and the rod 79 in the direction of thearrow in Fig. 4, then pulls this shaft 54 outwardly with :a jerk, so that the nose 65 enteis the notch 63. The disk 69 is thereby removed from engagement with the pin 75, thus uncoupling the shaft 54 from the works and throwing the set of cams suddenly out of action.

The movement of the lever 77,78 produced by the spring 81 is also communicated by means of the rod 79, to the shaft 37, wherebythe arm 38 is brought into the path of the star wheel 39. 7 These movements have to be .etfected'with a jerk, since only a frac tion of the short time which can elapse between-the last quarter-stroke and the tirst hour-stroke is available for them. During the further movement of the sector 15. which so far has been raised by the sector lifter 13 only four teeth, correspo nling to the four-quarters strokes, the hour hammer 45 is then lifted for striking the hour, owing to the cooperation of the star wheel 39 with the hammer lifting mechanism 38,. 37, After the striking is completed, the sector and lifting member 13 together with the strikeoperating works are again arrested in the usual. manner.

' During the further movement of the clock the parts are returned to their original position for the striking of the first quarter (Figs. 1, 2, 6), the pin 2!) on the change wheel 28 striking against the lower part of the lever 25, thereby lifting the arm 26, this movement being communicated by means of the pins 30, 31 to the shaft 32 and by means of the rod 36 to the lever 77, 78. The rod 79 engaging the grooves 42, 68 pushes the shaft 37 inwardly, thus moving the hammer-lifter 38 out of the path of the lifting cam 39, and also pushes the shaft 54: with the set of cams 57 and the cup-shaped disk 62 in the same direction, whereby the pin 75 again enters one of the sockets 70 in the disk 69 and couples the set of cams 57 with the works. Furthermore, the nose 65 is brought out of engagement with the notch 63. This re-arranging of parts takes place slowly according to the movement of change wheel 28 after the last hour stroke, and it lasts until shortly before the time when the mechanism is released for striking the first quarter (Figs. and 6). During the further movement of the wheel 28'the pin 29 again releases the bell crank lever 25, 26, which latter returns to its original position (Figs. 1 and 3) under the influence of its own weight. The pin 29 holds the lever 25, 26, and the parts controlled thereby, rigid until, during the course of the movement of the set of cams 57 for striking the first quarter the nose 65 slides again on the edge face 64 of the cup-shaped disk 62.

For the quarter, half-hour, and threequarters strokes the toothed sector falls a distance correspondingto one, two and three teeth respectively,.under the influence of the sector arm 21 which strikes against the corresponding teeth of the quartercam 16.

The coupling between the works on the one hand andthe quarterand hour-striking mechanisms on the other hand fulfills also,

together with the controlling mechanism the principal parts of which arethe cupshaped disk 62 with the notch 63, the cup 'edge 64, the nose 65 and the spring 81, in clocks with Westminster strike mechanism the purpose of automatically regulating such strike mechanism. If for any extraneous cause the sequence of the quarter-strokes in such a clock no longer agrees with the time indicated by the hands, such irregularities will be removed automatically within an hour. ,As will be clear from the foregoingldescription, the coupling between the third quarter, instead of after the last fourquarter stroke, the wheels 28, 28, together with the parts 25, 26, etc., operated thereby, will again couple the quarter-striking mechanism with the works before the next onequarter stroke.

I claim: y 1. A clock having mechanism for striking the four quarters and mechanism for striking the full hour, said first named mechanism comprising a strike device movable lengthwise, two coupling members one of which is held stationary while the other moves with said strike device, and a single works for operating said two mechanisms.

2. A clock having mechanismfor striking the four quarters and mechanism for striking the full hour, said first named mechanism comprising a strike device movable lengthwlse, a coupllng disk held to move with said strike device, and a coupling means engaging the movable. partslof saidtwo mechanisms to cause them to, move lengthwise simultaneously so as to uncouple one of said mechanisms from the works and couple the other mechanismtherewith.

4. A clock having mechanism for striking the four quarters and mechanism for striking the full hour, a. single works for operating said two mechanisms, said .works comprising a sector having teeth for-controlling the hour-strokes and four additional teeth for controlling the four-quarters strokes, an hour cam for operating said sector, and an arm interposed between said cam and said sector and spaced from said cam-more than usual by a distance corresponding to said four additional teeth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

. ANDREAS LEHMANN. In the presence of- VIKTOR BREUF,

lVALTER -BRAUN. 

